With just 30 minutes of rehearsal, she faced a soccer stadium packed with Stones fans.
The sound they made was like trees in a jungle in a storm, she said.
Its primal, like a war.
Chanel Haynes onstage with Mick Jagger. The gospel singer finished her first tour with the Rolling Stones this summer.Steve Allen*
I had to hold and possess all of that.
It was a very surreal experience …
It was a magnificent gift.
Im still savoring it.
At the time, it seemed like the gift was a one-shot deal.
I knew once I experienced that stage in Milan … the feeling that went through my body was shockwaves.
I knew that I was home.
I also felt like I was soaring in the heavens.
It became my focus.
I must be home with my family.
It was a feeling like that, and I will say its what I prayed for.
And so, it became a prayer, and I found my family.
Shes been the bands manager for a long time.
And you see a certain name in your phone, and your heart just stops.
I picked up the phone, and its just her saying, Where are you?
I said, Im home, which by the way, were neighbors.
She lives in England too.
She said, Are you available in two days to come to New York City?
It was almost the same exact thing that happened with me singing with them in Milan.
Talk about staying ready.
And it starts with a thought.
You see it in your mind.
And those things all come together, and that phone call comes.
The answer is, Absolutely, yes.
I was directly in front of the stage.
The feeling in that little room was unreal.It felt like it really mattered to the Stones.
It was all new material.
And the most magical thing about working with them is theres nothing stale.
Theres nothing to be assumed.
You show up, and youre ready to tap in, if that makes any sense.
And we were all tapped in onstage.
Youre waiting just as much as the people in the audience are waiting.
Were all waiting to find out, where are we going?
That was just seven songs in a club.
I just heard, Chanel.
Hey, its Mick.
My jaw dropped, because whoever in life gets a call like this?
Theres only one Mick, so clearly this is the moment.
We had spent the day together in New York [before the Racket show].
It was apparent we had a natural chemistry.
And essentially he asked me, Would you like to join us for the North AmericanHackney Diamondstour?
And I remember my response.
I said, Nothing would make me happier.
Wild horses couldnt keep me away.
I did a deep dive into the actual writing, the lyrics.
I was just studying their interactions.
Then, I had to figure out who I wanted to be.
I watched the other people, and then I decided, Who am I?
What do I have to offer and what do I bring to the table?
But honestly, I dreamed all of it.
I was like, Its really happening.
How did you approach your job as a background singer?
You obviously dont want to overpower Mick, but you want to punch up certain parts.
Im sure Bernard helped you with that.Its definitely a collaboration.
Obviously, Bernard for over 30 years has mastered the tones and textures of everyone onstage, particularly Mick.
And he was very supportive and patient with me, because Ive never been a background singer.
And my voice isnt really a blending-in kind of voice.
Its kind of out there.
And so I just listened.
Theres no space and time for ego like, Oh, this is my thing.
No, you listen and you get the pulse and understand what is needed.
I remember Mick asking me.
Do you have any questions?
Is there anything that we can do to support you?
I said to him, I want to double-check that you are OK.
I want to support you.
The last thing in the world I want is for you or anyone to worry about me.
Ill do my homework, but my gift is to support you wherever you need me on that stage.
And that takes a lot of discipline and just, again, listening.
But they do their magic too, obviously, to check that that the balance is there.
So its a beautiful effort.
And these are singers that Ive admired.
Theyve been doing Gimme Shelter for over 50 years.
But Sweet Sounds of Heaven is a brand new song.
Everyone came together so beautifully.
When the show is over, its like almost like theHackney Diamondsglass breaking off.
Everybody kinds of goes their own way, and then it all merges back together.
I swear to God, it felt like that every day of the show.
It was all these pieces just sort of coming together in this beautiful way.
Im like, This is the most beautiful kingdom on planet earth.
Ive never felt disconnected from the band.
Obviously, Im the only girl, so theres this awesome extra layer of sort of protection.
Theyre like, Are you OK, if you need anything?
it’s possible for you to imagine the Rolling Stone fans.
And whoever was also sort of in the same mood, it was like, Lets just hang back.
My room is always red.
It has just really been a blessing.
Theyre all great guys.
I think, for example, of the jobSteve Jordan has done filling Charlies shoes.Hes incredible.
I was really shy at first.
And he says, Hey, you want to have dinner with me?
I was just so touched.
Did you grow close to him?Oh, my God.
I cant even go into the details of how much hes touched my heart.
Hes grounding, so whenever Im around him, I just really feel so grounded.
Mick must have been amazing to watch every night.
I mean, there were times, obviously, where Id feel tired.
Its not just the physicality.
Its the mental pressure.
Its the responsibility thats on his shoulders.
And its like, OK. You stand before your people, and you lead them strong.
You take care of them, and they take care of you.
Im like, No, hes not going to notice this note.
I just did a lower note when I should have done a higher note.
He totally caught it.
He said, Yeah.
Next time, can you …
I was like, Oh yeah.
I really think that Gimme Shelter is one of the greatest rock songs ever written.
Its a war cry.
You know how they call it the living word?
Im a preachers daughter, so bear with me.
Its called the living word, because every time you read it, you get something different.
Its just alive in you.
Every time I sang that song, it would rip me apart.
I often wore metal dresses.
They felt like armor to me.
It made it feel like war.
And its bringing everyone together for this epic moment in time.
Thats the kind of feelings Im channeling, really.
I could see everyone around me get chills at once.Im channeling.
Thats whats happening the whole time for me, because its not just one component.
Were being elevated together all at once.
Then youd walk down the runway with Mick.
Every night, your interactions there were a little different.
It always felt spontaneous.It absolutely was.
Hes like, Chanel, its never going to be the same.
He said, Just do what youve been doing.
Theres no way to describe it.
And there are the tiniest details that I would catch.
It could be his hands shaking a little faster than normal.
That might indicate something to me, so it really was just a delicate dance of our souls.
Did you ever get used to facing 50,000 people at once?Its never something to take for granted.
You are seeing little children with their grandparents, and knowing what those moments mean for everyone.
You really care about their experience.
And you also know that tomorrow is not promised.
And Im very much about that.
Id much rather be present, so I just felt like lightning struck every night.
Are you hopeful that will happen?Im very hopeful about that.
I hope that tour happens next year.
Your arms are stretched.
you could feel everybodys vibration.
Its just such a beautiful reward at the end, all that hard work that we did.
And we did this together.
